Silicon Dioxide
by jessi0129
Summary: As if he wasn't already in complete panic mode, the sight of the outstretched desert that seemed to never end brought him to his knees.


He slowly opened his eyes only to be struck with blistering hot white pounding down into his pupils. He quickly squeezed them back shut, wondering where in the world he could be for it to be this weltering. He continued to lay there, movement unwanted as he knew that if he had been laying here long at all he would be burnt from head to toe. After a while of softly dozing in and out of light sleep, he decided that now was good as any to try and move.

What he felt next was the most unsavory feeling he could have ever imagined. As he moved his limbs, he felt them sink lower into deep sand. He too quickly scrambled onto his knees, frantically looking across the expansive horizon. Complete with blazing orange skies, and the dreadful golden brown sand.

He clutched at his chest as he tried to slow his ragged, painful breathing. His skin ached from the unmistakable blistering sun burn that had spread across his arms, legs and shoulders. His joints creaked as he rocked back and forth on his knees. He was in a complete panic from not knowing where in the world he was and how he got there but, more importantly he was panicking from the too familiar feeling of hot sand clinging to his body.

As he clamored to his feet, he noticed that he was wearing one of his favorite black tank tops along with what looked like dark blue swim trunks. He started to slowly make his way to the top of the sand dune nearest him, hoping that its height would help to show where he could be. But, of course there was only more sand. The wind was picking up, blasting the fine pieces of glass and rock into his already abused skin. He hissed in pain as his flesh stung from the impact.

And, as if he wasn't already in complete panic mode, the sight of the outstretched desert that seemed to never end brought him to his knees. He started sobbing, chest heaving, body racking as he painfully choked on dry, hot breaths. He tried to remember anything from before he woke up in his absolute worst nightmare, but the only thing he could think of was thick, glasses atop a man's brown curls as he rubbed his eyes in frustration. He clung to this imagine as he forced his brain to clear the blurred figure into something more recognizable.

He knew that he knew those glasses, but there was no denying that he definitely knew those chocolate brown curls. He just wished that he could see the man's eyes; he felt that if he could move the memory on and see his eyes, he would and could remember. Those eyes meant something to him, he just knew it. He screwed his eyes shut as he wracked his brain for anything connected to the frustrated brunette. As always, his brain didn't disappoint, and he began to see imagines flash across his eyelids.

He saw his hands unbuttoning a purple shirt. He saw strong eyebrows, with a deep worry lines. He saw strong hands slide up his naked stomach. He saw those familiar glasses sitting on a workbench next to a notebook of equations. He saw a tall blonde laughing along with a shorter brunette. He saw a covered eye, scars splintering from the empty socket. He saw a bundle of blood red curls bouncing. He saw a wall of green. A blur of red. A disc of red, white and blue being thrown by a muscular blonde. He heard the boom of thunder. A whisper of wind as an arrow blew past his ear. He heard his own voice holler 'Watch it, Robin Hood!' He saw green, so much green mixed with that purple. Rumbled tweed suits. Green. A terrifying roar. Tired eyes. Wringing hands. Green. Closed eyes with lashed splayed across perfectly tan cheekbones. Green. Purple. Yellow. Then he saw them. The image of the closed eyes finally moved forward and they were opened. They were deep brown, but then slowly melted into acid green.

He gasped as he was pulled from his inter-mind. "Bruce." He panted. "Bruce."

He looked down at his knees buried in sand, tears falling, making the sand beneath him stain dark brown. He sat with his head hung, until there was something touching his shoulder.

"Tony."

He snapped his head up at hearing his name being called in the distance. His vision was blurred from tears, so as he wiped his eyes it began to clear, as well as the picture of those familiar eyes looking straight at him, concern swimming through the beautiful brown.

"Please don't be a hallucination." Tony whimpered, grabbing at the man in front of him, screwing his eyes shut. "Please tell me I'm not..."

"Tony, it's okay. It's me." Bruce cooed, cupping his other man's face. "You're here, with me. With us."

"Sand. Heat. Sun. Green, so much green." Tony panted, searching his environment frantically. What he saw was dark blue skies, white sand not gold and friends, his friends. Thor, Steve, Natasha, Clint. They were all there next to him. And, Bruce. His Bruce was here, and he was real. Holding him, touching him.

Tony lurched into Bruce's arms burying his face into his chest, sobbing. "Bruce." He whimpered. "Bruce."

"Shhhh. It's alright." Bruce whispered, rubbing up and down Tony's tense back. "I got you. I got you."

They sat like this for a while. Everyone looking on with concern, as Bruce held Tony as close to him as possible.

"Never." Tony said finally pulling back and wiping his eyes. "Let me fall asleep on the beach, in the sand. Again." He laughed. Everyone else joined in as well, relaxing with him. "And, never. Let me go."

"Never." Bruce said losing all the previous humor.

Tony inhaled deeply. "I love you."

Bruce smiled at the ground and shook his head, before peeking up at other. "I love you too."


End file.
